House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is a brilliant politician. She understands that Democrats under her care must come to terms with how they feel about impeaching Donald Trump. Yet, does she fully understand that the voters stand unknowing outside that inner circle, locked outside closed-door hearings? What is her game?
Success in negotiations and court are as good as nothing. The people must see and hear. Otherwise, they assume the polite negotiations are just stalls until the election. Is Pelosi playing softball to POTUS’ hardball? Maybe.
The House Speaker spoke at The Christian Science Monitor-hosted breakfast where she counseled quiet deliberations to build a strong case of obstruction of justice against Trump. She said the president tried to hinder Special Counsel Robert Mueller III’s investigation into Russians attacking the 2016 presidential election.
Asked about censure against Trump, she said no. Some have offered that alternative up as a way to satisfy the various factions in the Democratic party, according to The Washington Post:
‘“No. I think censure is just a way out. If you’re going to go, you’ve got to go. In other words, if the goods are there, you must impeach, and censure is nice, but it is not commensurate with the violations of the Constitution, should we decide that’s the way to go.’
She added that censure of Trump would be like:
‘….a day at the beach for the president, or at his golf club, or wherever he goes.’
The speaker had just reached an agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) for obtaining a “less redacted” copy of the Mueller report. Pelosi had negotiated starting out with a request for the entire unredacted version. She said that “many more people than just leadership” would be able to see the DOJ’s offering.
Peolosi was afraid to impeach Trump, because she was guaranteed a loss in the Republican Senate. Where is does doing the right thing come in? She said:
‘I don’t think you should have an inquiry unless you’re ready to impeach. What I believe is that when we go forward, if we go forward, it has to go deep. It can’t be the Democrats impeach in the House; the Senate, in his view, exonerates. . . . This president must be held accountable.’
Pelosi added that she does not:
‘…feel pressure from my members to do anything, and I have no pressure on them to do anything.’
Representative Brian Higgins (D-NY) became the 69th House Democrats to announce his support for launching the impeachment hearings. In his statement, he said:
‘Obstruction of justice is an impeachable offense. The multiple instances of obstruction laid out in the Mueller report necessitate that the House launch an impeachment inquiry.’
Representative Brian Higgins (D-NY) became the 69th House Democrats to announce his support for launching the impeachment hearings. Representative Justin Amash (R-MI) has been the only House Republican to call for Trump’s impeachment. In Higgins’ statement, he said:
‘Obstruction of justice is an impeachable offense. The multiple instances of obstruction laid out in the Mueller report necessitate that the House launch an impeachment inquiry.’
The reason Speaker Pelosi said that she accepted the DOJ agreement was:
‘I’m afraid I really don’t trust the attorney general of the United States, and I’m afraid that he may, depending on what is in there, try to, how do you say, deal with ongoing matters in a way that is not constructive for our Constitution.’
Trump tweeted rapid-fire about being persecuted by the Democrats:
“The Dems are very unhappy with the Mueller Report, so after almost 3 years, they want a Redo, or Do Over. This is extreme Presidential Harassment.’
People detest politician foot-dragging, avoidance, and the appearance of doing nothing. Voters would build momentum once Democrats started public hearings. After all, how many individuals actually read a 448-page densely written Mueller Report?
